How Slot has tightened Liverpool’s defence – and is powering their title bid
Sir Alex Ferguson, who knows a thing or two about winning the Premier League, once said that “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”.
He may have managed Liverpool’s greatest rival of the time Manchester United, but those are words that will feel encouraging to Reds fans right now.
Their side has effortlessly transitioned from the post-Jurgen Klopp era into Arne Slot’s reign and go into the international break top of the Premier League, with their fantastic start to the season having been built on the back of a near watertight defence.
Following Saturday’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, they have conceded the fewest goals after seven games with just two and have kept five clean sheets.
While there is a long way to go, they are right where they want to be in the title fight.
“We keep going and we keep working,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said.
“We are never satisfied. Everyone is contributing to clean sheets.”
How does Slot’s Liverpool defence compare to Klopp’s?
Inevitably there will be comparisons with how Slot is standing up against Klopp’s record, given the success the German brought to Anfield.
Encouragingly, the Dutchman has performed better in defensive statistics after the first seven games of a Premier League season than in any under Klopp.
The only time a Klopp team came close to the two goals conceded so far by this Liverpool team was in 2018-19, when they let in just three.
That was the year the Reds went on to amass 97 points, one point fewer than champions Manchester City.
So what’s actually changed?
It was clear at the end of last season that Liverpool needed to tighten things up defensively if they were to provide a strong challenge for the title.
They finished third, nine points behind winners Manchester City and seven behind second-place Arsenal, while the Reds had the worst defensive record of the top three, conceding seven more goals than City and 12 more than the Gunners.
So far this season, however, Arsenal have let in four more goals than Liverpool while City have conceded six more.
There is, of course, a long way to go but that is already an encouraging turnaround.
On the face of it, little appears to have changed at the back for the Reds.
The defence remains a familiar and experienced one with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Andy Robertson all starting when fit, while Ibrahima Konate is proving Slot’s favoured option to start alongside his captain at centre-back.
That centre-back pairing is flourishing. After the first seven games of last season Liverpool had faced 101 shots on goal, compared to just 64 this season, but Slot believes they offer more than just keeping out goals.
“They have been terrific throughout the whole season to now, not only in defending but the way they start our attacks in a good way,” he said.
“So many good things with the ball and also without the ball.”
Following the impressive 3-0 win against Manchester United last month, Robertson spoke about how there felt to be more control in defence under Slot.
“We look a bit more secure defensively,” he said after the Old Trafford victory.
“We had a lot more control in our game. A clean sheet is massive. To come away to your big rivals like Manchester United and keep a clean sheet is massive.”
Was a strong defence key for Slot at Feyenood?
Slot joined Liverpool in the summer after three years at Feyenoord
Last season, Slot’s Feyenoord finished second in the Eredivisie, conceding the second fewest amount of goals with 26 in 34 games.
No team in the league faced fewer shots from open play throughout the season than Feyenood with 175, compared to 203 for title winners PSV.
Encouragingly for Liverpool, Feyenoord were also strong defensively against set-pieces, conceding just five.
Manchester City let in just three goals from such situations last season, compared to 10 for the Reds.
But has his Liverpool defence even been truly tested yet?
This is something rival fans will, understandably, highlight.
While Liverpool’s start has been fantastic and gone perhaps better than even Reds supporters could have hoped, there is an argument to say they have yet to be truly tested.
Five of their six league wins so far have come against sides who currently occupy the bottom half of the table – including two of the bottom three.
This is something Slot himself has made a point of.
Following the 2-1 win at Wolves last weekend, he told Sky Sports: “I am the first to understand that the first six fixtures we have had have been much [less] difficult than, for example, the fixtures Wolves had.
“We still have a lot to prove if we’re going to come across the top sides of the table, if you say it like this.
“A lot to improve but it’s good that we have these points and that we are where we are at the moment.”
Tougher tests will come for Liverpool after the international break, as they host in-form Chelsea on 20 October and then travel to fellow title hopefuls Arsenal seven days later.
Source: BBC FOOTBALL
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